109 Ukrainian political prisoners jailed in Russia and occupied Crimea

"Currently, 109 people stay in the places of detention (in the occupied Crimea and the Russian Federation), and 33 of them are held in the occupied Crimea," Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova said on the air of the Crimea.Realities portal, Ukrinform reports.

Out of 33 Ukrainian political prisoners behind the bars in Crimea, two people serve sentences, 30 people stay in pre-trial detention centers, and one person is on trial.

Denisova also informed that another 76 people are held in the Russian Federation, some of them serve sentences and some stay in pre-trial detention centers.

When asked which categories of citizens are most often subjected to political persecution, the Ukrainian ombudsperson answered that 75 out of 109 Ukrainian political prisoners are Crimean Tatars.

Earlier, Denisova stated that since the beginning of January, the number of illegally detained citizens of Ukraine in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions had increased, now accounting for 267 people.

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